The group, led by Kevin Barnes, has made a career out of pushing the boundaries of what’s new: Its albums have ranged from indie pop to orchestral psychedelic prog-rock. In a nutshell, its music has been too weird for most to figure out, but catchy enough to keep a lot of people listening anyway.

When the group last visited Mobile, back in March, it was touring in support of its latest studio album, “Paralytic Stalks.” Of Montreal returns to the Alabama Music Box on Saturday, Dec. 1; and though it’s just a few months later, the emphasis is on music that’s newer. And older.

In October, of Montreal released “Daughter of Cloud,” a 17-track compilation of outtakes and rarities. For the most part, they’re tracks that were written and recorded during the last five years, but never ended up on the albums the group produced during that time.

“In a way, it’s sort of emptying out the vault, so to speak,” said Barnes. “It makes you feel like you’re not hoarding things.”

“This is sort of the maiden voyage of a lot of these songs,” he said. “I guess the majority of them are from the ‘False Priest’ time period, which was two albums ago. And it’s more upbeat and dancey, funky. That stuff lends itself well for a live performance.”

“Daughter of Cloud” has gotten mixed reviews. For some critics, it’s a case of Barnes going a bit too far down “a rabbit hole of conceptually dense, erratic, and frankly exhausting music” (Pitchfork.com). Others have said, in effect, that they look to Barnes as a tour guide specializing in rabbit holes, and the farther he goes, the better. There’s a general consensus that while some of the album is quite dense, select tracks such as “Feminine Effects” and “Psychotic Feeling” are genuinely enjoyable.

Barnes seems to have no doubt on a couple of points: Firstly, that of Montreal can look forward to once again getting a warm reception at the Alabama Music Box.

“It’s one of those venues that somehow just has sort of a magical chemistry. It feels like more of a communal experience,” he said. “We’re excited to go back, for sure.”

And secondly, it’s not just about the music. Of Montreal has always had a reputation for putting on an artistic show, with plenty of action and multimedia elements. Barnes isn’t setting that aside while he drags the past into the future.

“We have some new theatrical ideas we’re going to try out,” he said. “We’re going to have a pretty packed bus. We’re going to have as many people as we can squeeze in. It should be a lot of fun.”

Saturday’s show has an advertised start time of 9 p.m. and is open to patrons 18 and older. Advance tickets are $16 and can be ordered through www.alabamamusicbox.net.